


Assets and  How to Throw the Proper Punch

by ShadoKat771



Series: Old Friends, New Love [11]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, Mac is secretly a badass, Some Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 00:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17090990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadoKat771/pseuds/ShadoKat771
Summary: When Mac's girlfriend is taken, he unleashes a side no one on the team has seen before.





	1. Take Flight

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle up, buttercups, we're just getting started. All of the chapter titles are from songs by Lindsey Stirling, whose music I recently discovered and am in love with.

“I’m telling y’all, something’s wrong”, Bozer said as he, Leanna and Riley entered the War Room of the Phoenix Foundation.

“Aw, Boze”, Riley replied, smiling, “they’re probably up at her place in Santa Barbara”.

“Nope”, Bozer replied. “Her car was still in my driveway when I left this morning”.

He was about to say more, but at that moment, the door opened, held by Jack as he and Matty walked into the room, laughing a a private joke. For a moment, it looked like they were holding hands.

Leanna silently caught Riley’s eye. Her unspoken expression was,  _ Girl, you seeing what I’m seeing? _

Riley raised an eyebrow.  _ Yeah, something’s going on. _

Matty cleared her throat. “Where’s Blondie?” She asked, looking around the room.

“That’s just it, Matty”, Bozer said. “He didn’t come home last night”.

“Well”, Matty continued, “have you tried calling him?”

“Several times”, Bozer replied. “Kaitlyn too. Just goes straight to voicemail”.

“Did anyone consider that maybe”, Jack drawled with a grin, “they turned their phones off because they were...knocking boots?”

His question was answered by a chorus of exclamations. He raised his hands defensively. “I’m just sayin’ “, he continued, “they could have turned off their phones”.

“Riley--”

“Already on it”, she replied, tapping keys on the keyboard of her laptop. A few moments later, the screen wall came to life with images. “Mac’s Jeep is in this parking garage, just been reported to be towed”. She glanced at Matty. “Already put the call in to have it towed here”, she continued. She was quiet for a few moments. “That’s weird”, she said quietly.

“What is?” Matty demanded.

“I pinged both cell phones”, Riley answered, “and Mac’s is here”, she highlighted a spot on the map, “but Kaitlyn’s is here”. She highlighted another spot several miles away.

Instantly, Jack was all business. “They’ve been kidnapped”, he said.

Matty nodded. “Jack”, she said, “go with Bozer to Mac’s location. Riley, Leanna, you go to Kaitlyn’s”.

The teams nodded and left, leaving Matty watching the screens on the wall in front of her.

 

“Director Webber, call on line one”. The aide looked up from her tablet nervously. “It’s --”

“If it isn’t one of our own”, Matty interrupted, “I don’t--”

“Matty”, MacGyver’s voice came out of the video wall, “it’s me. Could you tell me where I am? All I’m seeing is trees”.

Matty pressed a few buttons on the wall, and a symbol of MacGyver’s position glowed red, with an approaching dot. “It looks like you’re just off of the Angeles Crest Highway. Stay where you are. Jack and Bozer are about two minutes away”.

She heard him sigh. “Good”, MacGyver said wearily. “I can sit down and rest. Being tased and thrown out the back of a van in motion sucks”. There was a pause, then he added, “I see Jack’s car now”.

“Yeah, Matty”, Jack’s voice came over the comms, “I’ve got a visual on our boy. He looks a little scuffed up, but ok”.

“Get him some comms and then get him back here to debrief”, Matty said. There were a few moments of silence, during which MacGyver disconnected his phone and put the comm in his ear. 

“Is Kaitlyn with you?” MacGyver asked as soon as his comms were up.

“No”, Matty said, as gently as she could. “Riley and Leanna are on their way to the location of her phone”.

“She’s not there”, MacGyver said, disappointment heavy in his voice. “They threw her phone out first”.

“Mac’s right”, Riley chimed in. “We found her phone on the side of the road, and it looks like it’s been bounced across the asphalt a few times before landing”.

“Matty, what’s their location?” MacGyver asked,”we can be there in a few minutes”.

“No way, Blondie”, Matty said firmly. “I want you back here and get checked out before you go back out into the field”.

“Matty--”MacGyver began.

“Jack, Bozer”, Matty cut him off, “you two have my permission to hogtie and gag him to get back here. Now”. She took a breath. “Ladies, pick up Kaitlyn’s phone and come back, too. We’ll regroup from here”.

“You got it, boss”, Jack said. He turned to MacGyver. “Get in the car”, he directed, then saw the look in the other man’s eyes. “Don’t think I won’t”, he continued. “I was a Junior Champion Roper. I can hogtie you faster than you can blink. Remember Dublin?”

MacGyver’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah”, he said, opening the car door, “I remember”.

 

A short time later, the team was gathered in a room on the Infirmary level of the Phoenix Foundation.

“Well”, the doctor said, straightening up from looking in MacGyver’s eyes, “there’s no sign of concussion, so once you get those road burns taken care of, you’re cleared to go back into the field”.

“And a set of clean clothes”, MacGyver added, looking down at the hospital gown he wore.

“That can be easily taken care of, Mac”, Matty replied. “In fact, I have them ready for you on the other side of that curtain. But first, you’re going to tell us everything you remember before Jack and Bozer picked you up”.

MacGyver took a deep breath, then said, “Well…”

 

  
  
  
  



	2. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac wakes up and pieces together the events from the previous evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part's a flashback, so don't freak out and think you missed something.

“You like this so far?” MacGyver asked, sliding his hand into Kaitlyn’s as the two walked down the fairly crowded street.

Kaitlyn beamed and squeezed his hand. “It’s perfect”, she said. “The concert was fantastic, the late dinner was amazing, but just being with you would have been enough”.

The couple shared a kiss, then continued walking past shops both closed and still doing business, window shopping.

They reached a parking structure and made their way to where MacGyver had left his Jeep parked. They stood on the passenger side as MacGyver started to reach for his keys, then stopped and took Kaitlyn into his arms. “Time to get you home”, he said softly, smiling.

“A little late to get me back to Santa Barbara”, she replied in kind. “Why don’t we just go back to your house, and I can get out of these heels”.

“That’s not the only thing you can get out of”, he teased in a low voice, drawing her in for a kiss. As they embraced, his hands slipped into the back pockets of her jeans until his fingers felt a tiny, familiar shape of metal. “Paperclip?” He said against her lips.

She sighed. “I caught Angus playing with it while I was getting ready”, she replied.”I forgot I stuck it in there”.

  
  


“And the next thing I knew”, MacGyver said, “we were being tased and tossed into a van”. He fell silent, staring at a far wall.

No one spoke, until an aide quietly approached Matty. “There’s a call for you on Line 3”, she said, “it’s Director Roberts”.

Matty looked up at the woman holding a tablet. “I’ll take it in the office”. She walked a short distance to a glassed in office and picked up the receiver of the phone on the desk, then pushed a button. Her back was to the group, and she spoke quietly, so they couldn’t hear what she was saying.

“So”, Leanna asked, “what happened to that paperclip?”

MacGyver smiled for the first time in a while. “I gave it to Kait”, he said.

“Wait”, Bozer said, “you were surrounded by bad guys. How did you give it to her?”

The blond man’s grin grew wider. “She asked for one last kiss”, he said simply.

Jack grinned. “I almost pity those chuckleheads”, he said.

At that moment, they heard Matty’s voice raise in the other room. “You should have called us 24 hours ago, then, Edward”, she was saying. “Yeah, we know. She’s missing. She’s been  _ kidnapped _ ”. A pause. “You don’t get to ask that.  _ We know _ . I suggest you send us copies of all your intel on this a-sap and let us get working on this from here”. She put down the receiver and stalked back to the group.

“What’s going on, Matty?” Jack asked.

Matty took a breath to calm herself and glanced at MacGyver before she spoke. “That was Director Roberts from the Los Angeles Bureau of the CIA”, she said. “He was calling to ask we keep an eye on Jackie MacGonagall’s daughter, as they had received intel that she was being targeted for kidnapping”.

“And they’re just telling us  _ now _ ?” MacGyver asked, an edge in his voice.

“They don’t like to share”, Matty replied with a tinge of sarcasm. “Riley”, she continued, “you should be getting the information any time now”.

“Getting it now”, Riley replied, tapping a few keys on her laptop. After a few seconds of reading, she whistled. “This is some deep stuff. Jacqueline was posing as a European aristocrat, Franchesca St. Germain. Looks like she was trying to get into a multi-national ring that was dealing in all kinds of bad stuff.” She looked up from her screen. “I mean, name it, they’re in it”.

“So, Jacqueline’s cover was blown”, Matty said. “Do we have any idea how?”

“Looks like she took out one of the ring kingpin’s sons”, Riley answered, still scanning her screen. “Alexi Karpesarov. His father is Dimitri Karpesarov, and...oh”. She frowned. “He’s not just  _ a _ kingpin, he’s  _ the _ kingpin”.

“That explains a lot”, Matty said. “The Karpesarov’s are a rising crime family in eastern Europe, with a nasty reputation”.

Bozer shivered. “I hope we can find Kaitlyn before anything bad happens to her”, he said.

“Please”, Jack scoffed. “You put a gun to that girl’s face, she’s going to snap your wrist and shove that gun up your ass. That’s all I’m saying. And you better hope you like coughing up nine millimeter bullets, because it’s  _ going _ to go up there”. He looked at the group and his chuckle faded. “I’ve seen first hand what that girl can do”. He looked at MacGyver, who had been silent the whole time. “Mac”, he said, “stop pulling on that string. You’re gonna unravel that gown and everybody’s going to see your man parts”. He made a disgusted sound. “And nobody wants to see those, especially me. Not after Dublin”.

In response, MacGyver stopped picking a the loose thread in the hem of his hospital gown. “Can we  _ please _ stop talking about Dublin?!” He asked, glaring at the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still getting started. Please leave a Comment, or a Kudo if you haven't already, and thanks for reading! Stay tuned.


	3. Lost Girl

“Mac, slow down”, Jack’s voice was a little louder than he wanted it to be, jogging down the empty hallway after MacGyver. “Dammit, Angus,  _ wait _ !”

“We don’t have time, Jack!” MacGyver yelled in return.

Jack reached out and grabbed the younger man’s elbow, causing him to stop and face him. MacGyver’s expression was a mixture of anger, worry and fear. “We  _ do  _ have time”, Jack said in a quieter tone. “Riley’s bippity-booping as fast as she can, and she said it was going to take a little time for her to break down all the information the CIA dumped on her, and pick up the trail”. He eased his grip on his friend’s arm a little. “The whole team’s working on it. We got this”.

“This isn’t like last time, Jack”, MacGyver replied, his voice betraying his worry.

“I know it isn’t”,the older man replied. “I  _ know _ ”. His expression softened. I was  _ there _ , man. Me and the TAC Team crashed that little party, and I was the one who pulled your girl off that psycho noodle before she could finish turning him into a boneless sack of mush”. He paused enough to get MacGyver to look into his eyes.”There’s a reason I call her General now”, he continued. “She can take care of herself”.

“But--”

Jack let go of MacGyver’s arm to hold up a finger in front of MacGyver’s face. “No buts”, he said. “We  _ will  _ find her. And this time, we’ll do it together, with the whole TAC Team behind us”.

MacGyver chuckled mirthlessly. “Guns blazing?” He asked.

“Of course”, Jack replied.”We’re the cavalry”.

“Hey guys”, Riley’s voice spoke through their comms. “I’ve got something”. She chuckled. “And you’re not going to believe this”.

 

MacGyver and Dalton entered the War Room just as Riley was speaking to Matty. “Seriously, Matty”, she was saying, “these guys are  _ not _ professional grade kidnappers. More like those idiots on  _ World’s Dumbest Criminals _ ”.

“What have you got, Riley?” Jack asked, as MacGyver walked over to the large bowl of paperclips and took a few into his hands.

“Oh, just some security footage from the parking garage Mac and Kait were taken from”, she replied in a matter of fact tone.”Clear enough to get the plates from the van, which I am tracing right now”. She tapped a few keys, then looked up at the wall of screens.

“That’s their location?”MacGyver asked as the screens flickered to life.His voice was even, but those around him knew he was fighting to keep his composure.

“Yep”, Riley said. “And they haven’t moved for the last fifteen minutes, so I’m pretty sure they’re staying put for now”.

Jack glanced at Matty before he said, “Alright, I want a TAC team suited up in full tactical gear and ready to go in ten minutes”. He looked at Mac. “That means you too, hoss. Let’s go”.

“Riley and Bozer will stay here and monitor your movements”, Matty said. “Go get your girl, Mac”.

MacGyver nodded, dropping his paperclip sculpture on the table as he left.

It was a heart.

  
  


_ Light _ ... _ must be daylight. Indoors, not outside. Distant traffic sounds, not close by. Rural? No, smells industrial. Slight current of fresh air, open or broken window. Conversation...foreign language. Eastern European? Not in the room...next room. Who’s Franchesca St. Germain? Wait, no….no… _

“Frak”, Kaitlyn breathed. “ _ Mother” _ . She slowly opened her eyes and raised her head, listening for any reactions. When there were none, she looked around the room. It was indeed a small room in an industrial building, with large pipes running along the ceiling and down one corner. Several windows lined the other wall, barred, and several panes broken.

She kept still, having unlocked her handcuffs-- _ Handcuffs? Really, guys? In this century? _ \--some time before, thanks to the paperclip MacGyver had passed to her in their last kiss. She smiled to herself as she tested to make sure they were loosely around her wrists, ready to be flicked off when the time was right. She froze mid-movement though, when she heard the door open on rusty hinges.

A medium height, medium build man wearing dark green slacks and an army jacket over a black t-shirt entered, then closed the door behind him. He took a measured look at Kaitlyn.

She returned his gaze with no outward expression. “You can save the supervillain speech”, she said. “I know why I’m here”.

“They warned me you were”, he paused, “quick-witted. But you won’t be able to talk your way out of this”. He spoke with a thick accent. He saw she was looking at an area near his feet. “What are you looking for?” He asked.

“Subtitles”, she replied. “I can barely understand what you’re saying”.

He made a predatory smile. “Then, perhaps you would understand this communication better”, he said. He removed his jacket, then his belt and began unbuttoning his waistband as he stalked toward her.

_ Oh crap. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know our girl's not going to stand for this, right? Promise not to leave you hanging for too long. Thanks for reading! Please leave a Comment and a Kudo on your way out if you haven't already. Thanks again!


	4. The Arena

The only sounds in the back of the TAC van were of the motor running and chatter over the radio, mixed with traffic sounds. “Firebird”, a voice over the radio spoke. “You’re five minutes out from the target”.  
Jack reached across the aisle and smacked MacGyver on the knee, receiving an irritated look for his trouble. “Showtime”, he said. “Time to put your game face on and get that brain into high gear”.  
“I’ve been ready since we left HQ”, MacGyver replied. He adjusted a strap on the kevlar vest he was wearing.  
They felt a shift and then the van slowed to a stop. “Standard breach”, Jack called out. “Quick and dirty, people. We’re burnin’ daylight”.

The team entered the abandoned warehouse smoothly and efficiently. Soon, calls of “Clear!” replaced the sound of gunfire and fist fights. There was only one section of the building left to clear when Riley’s voice came over their comms.  
“Guys”, she said, “that room ahead of you is showing two heat signatures, but one of them is cooling rapidly”.  
MacGyver glanced at Jack, panic flickering in his blue eyes, then sprinted towards the room, heedless of the fact there were two men guarding it.  
“Mac!” Jack yelled. “Dammit, Angus!” Then ran after him. He arrived in front of the room in time to help MacGyver dispatch the second man. “Let me open the door”, he said as he cautiously turned the handle, weapon in his free hand.  
Inside, they found an overturned chair with handcuffs partially attached, and the body of a man, dressed in jeans, and a black t-shirt, with the thin heel of a woman’s shoe protruding from his temple.  
“Riley”, Jack said calmly, over comms, looking around the room with his gun ready, “I thought you said there were two people in here. All we’ve got is one very dead guy with a lady’s shoe sticking out of his head”.  
“The second one is still there”, Riley’s voice replied.”You should be right on top of them”.  
“No, there’s just--”, Jack stopped in mid-sentence, seeing MacGyver staring up into the shadows among the pipes, and smiling.  
“It’s clear now”, MacGyver said. “You can come down. I’ll catch you”.  
“Doubtful”, Kaitlyn’s voice replied from the shadows. A moment later, she landed in front of him with a small sound, holding her other shoe. She flung the shoe away and allowed MacGyver to gather her in his arms.  
“I’ve got you”, MacGyver said quietly, laying her head against his shoulder and gently stroking her messy red hair. “You’re safe now”. He continued murmuring softly into her ear for a few moments, then drew back to face her. “Are you ok?” He glanced quickly at the body, then back to her. “Did he…”  
She interrupted him by placing a smudged finger against his lips and smiling. “He tried”, she said. “Last mistake he’ll ever make”. She shifted her weight, then hissed in pain. “I think I landed on some glass”, she explained, lifting her right foot and started to bend over.  
“Wait!” MacGyver shouted, at the same time, Jack yelled, “Pierce! Get your ass in here, we’ve got wounded!”  
A tall man in TAC gear, carrying a medical bag loped into the room, then stopped in front of the trio.Seeing how Kaitlyn was standing, he knelt in front of the leg she had lifted slightly. He reached out and gently took her calf in his hands, lifting her foot so he could see underneath. “Yeah”, he drawled, “you’ve got a couple of good-sized chunks imbedded in your foot. Would be best if we took them out in the Infirmary back at HQ”. He looked up at Kaitlyn then, a mischievous twinkle forming in his warm brown eyes.”You know”, he continued,”you really shouldn’t be running around barefoot in abandoned warehouses”.  
“Well”, Kaitlyn answered in kind, “I kinda lost my shoes. Mother’s going to need to replace the Louboutins she got for me. Especially since she’s the reason I need to replace them”.  
The men chuckled, then Pierce spoke again. “Gentlemen”, he said, “if you would place the lady in a 2-man carry, we can get our Cinderella to an awaiting carriage and treat her wounds in the Infirmary at HQ”.  
“That won’t be necessary”, MacGyver said, bending slightly and picking up Kaitlyn. “I’ve got her”. He adjusted his grip slightly as she put her arms around his neck, then began carrying her out of the warehouse.  
“You heard Prince Charming, BJ”, Jack said, “let’s go”.

 

“At least this time you didn’t break your hand”.  
“Thanks, doc”, MacGyver replied wryly. He glanced over at an exam table where Kaitlyn sat in a hospital gown, looking back at him with a slight smile.  
“You mean, he’s broken his hands in hand to hand combat?”Kaitlyn asked from her seat.  
“Not quite”, the doctor replied, “but it’s been close a few times”. He walked over to her and lifted her injured foot to examine the bandages. “You’re going to need to stay off that foot for a few days”, he said.  
Kaitlyn nodded. “I think I can do that”, she replied. She then turned her attention back to MacGyver. “Who taught you how to throw a punch, Mac?” She asked.  
Jack chuckled. “General”, he said, “every boot camp instructor, CO and yours truly has tried to teach him how to punch. Nobody’s got through to him yet”.  
“He just needs proper motivation”, Kaitlyn replied, a teasing twinkle in her eyes.  
“I’m going to step in here”, Matty said, moving to stand next to Kaitlyn. “I need to speak to Kaitlyn. Privately”. She looked at MacGyver. “I won’t keep her long.”  
A chorus of variations of “yes, ma’am”s followed, and the group, including the doctor, left the room.  
When they left, Matty continued.”First of all”, she said. “I’m not going to ask you to stop seeing MacGyver, so you can forget about that”. She watched as Kaitlyn visibly relaxed. “But I do know that your living ninety minutes away, in good traffic, is stressful on you both. So, I’m going to make you a job offer. Come work here, at Phoenix”.  
“Matty”, Kaitlyn began, “that’s an amazing offer. But I don’t have the skill set for field work”.  
“I never said anything about field work”, the director replied. “You’d be just as valuable here at headquarters, training agents in hand-to-hand combat”.  
“Well”, the redhead considered, “Mrs.McTavish’s daughter and son-in-law have asked her to move in with them in Arizona. But, what about my job at the college? And Angus?”  
“You’re not tenured at the college”, Matty replied. “We’d double your salary here. And we can make your schedule flexible enough for you to take Angus to any cat show you need to to keep him in the spotlight”. She saw Kaitlyn’s expression. “And we can help you find appropriate housing and cover all your moving expenses”.  
Kaitlyn blinked in surprise. “Double my salary?” She asked. At Matty’s solemn nod, she said, “done deal. When can I start?”  
Matty smiled. “Come upstairs and I can get the paperwork started. We can find you new housing within a day or two”. She held out her hand and Kaitlyn took it. “Welcome to the Phoenix”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? You knew our girl would be ok. Not *quite* done yet, though. Please leave a Comment and/or a Kudo on your way out if you haven't already. Thanks for reading!


	5. Epilogue: Phoenix

******* **_Two Weeks Later***_ **

  
  


“So”, MacGyver said as he watched Kaitlyn finish wrapping his hand in white tape, “did you ask Matty to make me your first student, or was it her idea?”

“Hers”, Kaitlyn replied, smiling. “But I’m kinda glad she did”. She glanced around the gym where they stood. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to working in a state of the art gym”. She cut the tape from the roll and slapped the area across his knuckles. “How does that feel?”

MacGyver flexed his hand, testing the wrap. “It’s snug”, he replied, “but not tight. Good wrap”. He took a moment to admire his instructor. Her light red hair was in a single braid down her back, and she wore black and teal sport leggings with a black sports bra under a loose, teal tank top with the words “Judge Me By My Size, Do You?” in black lettering, with black athletic shoes. She looked beautiful. And lethal. He smiled and took her right hand in his. “Why do you get to go bare handed”, he asked quietly, “and I don’t?”

“Because”, she replied, stepping closer, “I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have. You’re the top agent in this place, and you use your hands a  _ lot _ ”. She smiled teasingly. “So, it  is in  _ everyone’s _ best interest to protect them”.

He returned her smile with a teasing one of his own, then raised her hand to his lips and kissed the ring and pinky finger. “But you’ve broken your hand”, he said.

“ _ That _ ”, she said, using her other hand to caress his cheek,and looking deep into his blue eyes,”was because I thought you were dead, and I went into full-blown berserker mode”.

“Fair enough”, MacGyver said, smiling, then leaning down to kiss her.

After a few moments, Kaitlyn gently broke the kiss and said, “as lovely as this is, we  _ are _ supposed to be doing some training here”. She stepped to the side and placed a hand on MacGyver’s shoulder. “I need to take a look at your form first”, she continued, “so you need to start beating that heavy bag”.

MacGyver nodded with a smile, then began pummelling the heavy bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, finished sooner than I expected. Hope you enjoyed the ride! Please leave a Comment and/or Kudo on your way out. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I know it's only the beginning, but please leave a comment or kudo on your way out, and check back often!


End file.
